Senior Immigration Officers Wait On Tinubu For Retirement Of Comptroller General

By Bukar BOLORI

There is uneasy calm at the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) as officers of the Service wait on President Bola Tinubu’s directive to either extend the tenure of the Comptroller General, Kemi Nandap who was due to retire on October 10,2024 or appoint a new head.

Nandap was due to retire on October 10, 2024, having served 35 years in service.

This is, according to documents obtained by our correspondent, which contain details of all officers in the service’s Comptroller cadre based on seniority.

Nandap’s statutory retirement is based on her Date of First Appointment, which falls on October 10, 1989.

This marks the completion of her civil service term in line with public service rules, which peg the mandatory retirement age at 60 or 35 years in service, whichever comes first.

President Bola Tinubu appointed Nandap as CG of the Service on February 21, 2024.

However, her appointment took effect from March 1, 2024, according to a statement by then-Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ajuri Ngelale.

“The President anticipates that the new Comptroller-General will deepen the ongoing reforms in the service and create a robust mechanism for efficient and dedicated service delivery to Nigerians, as well as strengthen the nation’s security through proactive and effective border security and migration management,” the statement read.

Nandap, with NIS number 9702, succeeded Mrs. Caroline Wura-Ola Adepoju, whose term in office elapsed on February 29, 2024, having turned 60.

Before her appointment, she was the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of the service’s Migration Directorate.

However, the official document obtained showed that Nandap, born on June 3, 1966, was employed in the Service on October 10, 1989, and clocked retirement on October 10, 2024.

This was not the first time this type of infractions is happening in the NIS with one of such occurring in August, when there was disquiet in the Service over the promotion of an Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration, Garba Bello, who retired in June, to Deputy Comptroller of Immigration.

Senior officers who were not promoted in the exercise faulted Bello’s promotion and promised to petition President Tinubu over his recall from retirement.

Bello was born on June 3, 1964, enlisted in the service in 1990 and retired on June 3, 2024, having clocked 60 years.

As part of his retirement, the service management held a send-off for the former ACG in charge of investigation at the NIS headquarters in Abuja.

However, the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board listed Bello as one of the ACGs elevated to DCG.Other promoted ACGs besides Bello include Anietum Essien, Umanah James, Michael Dike, George Dikel, Tukur Umar, Afolayan Ayeni, and Usman Nagado.

A letter dated August 2, 2024, with the reference number NIS/HQADM/4193/II/204, announced that Bello and seven others were decorated that month.

In another letter dated September 23, the Board granted ‘Special Promotion’ to Mrs. Claris Nwadike, with Service number 9696.

It recommended that Claris and four others be promoted from Comptroller to Assistant Comptroller-General.

She retired on October 10, 2024, just six days after her decoration.

The letter, with reference number CDCFIB/S.33/VOL.IV/57 was signed by Ja’afaru Ahmed, the Board’s secretary.

It read, “I write to forward herewith the list of officers granted Special Promotion under the Year 2024 Promotion Exercise.

”A source who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity said only the board chairman, i.e. the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, possesses the powers to recommend a new candidate to the President for the position of Comptroller-General.“

The Minister of Interior chairs the board, and only he can recommend a new candidate when a CG retires,” the source explained.

In the past, former president Muhammadu Buhari twice extended the tenure of erstwhile immigration chief Jere Idris by one year and then, later, one month.

It would not be a surprise if NANDAP is not asked to retire from the service which may put a nail on the carrier progression of some senior officers.